Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Zoe Tidman

Coronavirus: Police fine three Londoners over 250-mile camping trip to Wales during lockdown

Police in Wales have fined a group of Londoners who were caught camping around 250 miles from the capital during the lockdown.

The three men were told to go home after officers found them on the Welsh coast ignoring the restrictions on movement during the coronavirus outbreak.

Local police said a group of people from the London area had “set up camp” at Mwnt in west Wales on Thursday.

“They had travelled a considerable distance only to be fined and sent straight back home,” Cardigan Neighbourhood Police Team said.

“A time of national crisis is NOT the time for a holiday,” they said.

People have been ordered to stay at home unless it is essential – for example, to get food or go to work – as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic, while gatherings of more than two people are also banned.

Adults caught breaking these rules risk a fine of £60, which reduces to £30 if paid within two weeks.

For those have been fined for flouting the restrictions before, their fine will be doubled to a maximum of £960.

Since the lockdown began, police have been enforcing the rules by breaking up parties – including one “massive” karaoke party in Derbyshire – and checking people’s reasons for movement.

One man from Nottingham was recently fined after telling officers who stopped him he had driven to London to buy cheaper bread.

The lockdown – which has been extended until at least early May ​– is aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus, which has infected more than 114,000 people in the UK to date.

Around 15,400 hospitalised Covid-19 patients have died in the country as of Friday afternoon, according to the latest health ministry figures.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.